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7 Films that made me go the fu** : 2016 Edition

This isn’t my all time what the fuck just happened list. That is for another day.

This isn’t a genre but films that made me go wtf is this year. These films are always on the brink of being brilliant or just nonsense you don’t want to bother your head with. There’s a fine line between the two and I believe the line is of personal taste.

I’m going to try to not give too much away just the outline and if it’s the film for you or not summary.

NOTE: If you watch trailers of any of these films, there isn’t much point watching them.

1. Exam (2009) ★★★★★

You should watch it if:

You enjoy: thrillers set in one room, the ocassion mind fuck, pscychology, films that tells you all the shit in the end in a two minute what the shit happened sequence (kiza soze) . Low budget films.Are tired of: Predictable plots, characters that are only good or evil, thrillers with loads of guns.

Review:

Apart from the one black, one asian, one go getter woman, one ambitious man… and so on cast. There is nothing main stream or predictable about this film.

Job applicant in a room for 90 minutes trying to get the job, solve the mystery and well survive. It’s wonderfully done and thoroughly enjoyable.

2. Delicatessen (1991) ★★★★★

You should watch it if :

You’re looking for the unexpected, enjoy situational comedies and black comedy or if you’ve anything and everything terry gilliam. And you don’t mind subtitles or the occasional shit I can’t watch that.You’re tired of the teenage post apocalyptic films, teenage comedies, superheroes.How to watch it: I’d always watch this in winters and alone. Adds to the mood of the film.

Review:

Lately there have been too many post apocalypse films, sadly they’ve been targeted, tailored & marketed for the teens. The unfortunate thing with teenage films is they end up being a hero centric ordeal laced with romance. Delicatessen is none of that.

Delicatessen is a french surreal (think terry gilliam) black comedy. It’s a story of a man who comes for a job at a french apartment building with a butcher shop up front. It’s hard times and you never know what you’re eating. Each character is beautifully set up and how all of them are connected is a joy to watch.

Review:

I think the only film in the list, that I’d be okay watching with other people. A bunch of 30 something having a dinner, talking, laughing, being jealous, cheating the whole lot. While there is a planet passing by. The planet has some mysterious effects on earth which will unravel with time.

The characters are really human and so are their reactions. The chemistry between the group of friends is wonderfully done and I really enjoyed the low budget handycam feel of it. It reminded me of cloverfield which I absolutely love. With the amount of shit that happens in it, it’s still a great film to see with your friends over.

“There is another theory: that two states continue to exist… separate and decoherent from each other, each creating a new branch of reality… based on the two outcomes. Quantum decoherence ensures that the different outcomes… have no interaction with each other.”

4. Sicario (2015) ★★★★☆

You should watch it if:

You have enjoyed any of Denis Villeneuve’s work ( Prisoners, Incendies, Enemy) because I think he’s a sick bastard who just wants to fuck you, mob films, silence for minutes, great cinematography and mood films.
You’re okay with: Violence, Gore, Unsatisfying endings, uneasy story lines.How to watch: Alone but on the biggest screen you have at home.

Review:

“a beautifully murky, hard-edged thriller. Quite simply, one of the best films of the year.” – Empire

The most uneasy I’ve felt in the last half decade has been because Denis Villeneuve’s films, he lures you in with his cinematography and his perfectly synced radiohead soundtrack. Once he has has you he butchers you over and over again, until you pause and say fuck this. But I need to watch what happens next.

Having said that, sicario is the calmest of his films. It takes a dark but realistic look at how gangs operate (mexico) what they do and how helpless an honest officer is in all of it. Can you trust the justice system if not what are you going to do about it. With emily blunt playing her best it’s a joy to watch. Like most of the films in the list enjoyed best alone.

5. Frank (2014) ★★★★☆

You should watch it if:

You enjoy: Ironic Comedies, Experimental Music, Dysfunctional bands, Absurd plots that don’t seem to go anywhere, Character Films, Mocumentaries.You’re okay with: The main character never showing his face. Screaming and punching because drugs.How to watch: A good sound system, friends if they share your odd taste.

Review:

Frank is about a (not famous) band who’s finding it hard to write music so they move to a village in the countryside to find ‘their zone’. You’ve got your protagonist (well sort of) who’s the youngest member of the group complete with his twitter ravings, the completely psycho girl (who might or might not be in love) , the europeans (who hardly speak or just randomly throw a line) , the manager who’s trying to keep shit together and Frank.

Frank well hmm he’s frank and the movie is about him. Anything more I say will just ruin who frank is. The situations are really good fun, the crazy antics are even better. If you’re up for a off beat film on a slow evening franks it. Why is it in my WTF list? Well because Frank.

6. Big Bad Wolves (2013) ★★★★☆

You should watch it if:

You love: the mystery of not knowing the truth, human drama, psychology. In tarantino’s words ‘the best film of 2013’You can stomach: Gore, very very uneasy storyline, brutal torture and murder.How to watch: Actually this would be fun watching with a friend, not in a group. Not a big screen.

Review:

“Maniacs are afraid of maniacs.”

I love a film, where there isn’t a single good guy or well you cannot decide on one. And I’m not talking about a handsome archetype villain who went on a wrong path. Or that hot model that got jealous and killed the other hot model. I’m talking pure and serious evil through and through. Rage, Revenge and the lot.

It’s an Israeli film in hebrew set in a city where a series of brutual (I mean really brutal) murders have taken place. A series of events leads three men to be in a cellar and everything else is a matter of perspective.

7. Buzzard (2014) ★★★☆☆

You should watch it if:

You love: Human drama, Metal, an unlikable protagonist.
You’re okay with: A psychotic breakdown, loud music, a protagonist you might never love.How to watch: There isn’t much point watching it with someone. It’s slow paced and raw chose your time.

Review:

So what does a low life slacker do when he’s out of money, has no respect for authority or relationships? He goes the Buzzard way.

It’s like a documentary you’re looking into the life of this guy who’s just fucking it up worse, there is no eureka moment or where it goes uphill. It’s just a great depiction of this guy.

Watch it when you don’t want to see your latest blockbuster on a slow night.

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Fahim Akhter

Fahim is a product manager with over 10 years of experience currently working as product head at MONT5. He focuses on user centric centric design, especially on brand, user experience and revenue product challenges.
Prior to joining MONT5, Fahim's has worn multiple hats during his career from game production to product development but the emphasis has always been on creating unparalleled user experience and to help startups to make complex products more engaging. He has worked on diversified portfolio of startups including games, apps, education and e-commerce with product reach of 10M users across the globe.
Fahim is a computer science graduate from FAST Islamabad. He volunteers for education and mentors students and startups, to help them grow and drive innovation.
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